August 2025 Board Meeting
PrintSDCEA board of directors meeting Aug. 27, 2025
Outage discussion – There were 62 unplanned outages in July, affecting 11,241 members across the SDCEA territory. The Mountain View wildfire north of Buena Vista accounted for 8,500 of those outages. During the wildfire, SDCEA, in coordination with Chaffee County Fire Protection District, de-energized lines in the immediate vicinity of the fire. The Xcel Energy main transmission line in northern Chaffee County tripped off-line due to the proximity of the fire. This caused a broader outage throughout Chaffee County.
Beyond that incident, the leading cause of outages (29%) during the month was due to the cooperative’s proactive measures to reduce wildfire risk. The co-op sets its system sensitivity to de-energize quickly if a tree or debris contacts a line, minimizing ignition risk during heightened fire danger, such as when fire restrictions are in place or red flag warnings are issued.
The settings also can increase restoration times due to mandatory visual inspections of lines and equipment to ensure safety.
Lightning accounted for 22.5% of outages, while 4.8% were caused by trees coming into contact with and damaging power lines. Each month, some outages remain unexplained, often due to minor incidents like a wind gust pushing a branch into a line, temporarily de-energizing it. By the time crews arrive to inspect, the branch may have already fallen or moved, making it impossible to confirm as the cause of the outage.
On July 30, a rare SDCEA service territory tornado was confirmed in the Westcliffe area. No damage to the system was reported during the event, but lightning a few miles away destroyed a single-phase pole.
Buena Vista area trail damage – A third-party contractor working on SDCEA’s behalf exceeded the approved scope of work in the area of the Crank ‘N Hammer Trail east of Buena Vista while replacing a pole, resulting in damage to the trail and Bureau of Land Management land surrounding it. This was not part of the project plan nor what was reviewed and authorized with the contractor.
SDCEA has been in contact with local BLM officials who are currently assessing the site and will be making recommendations to repair the damage caused. The co-op has also been in touch with the Buena Vista Singletrack Coalition, the local organization that maintains the trail that has been impacted by the damage.
Safety
Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP) – SDCEA recently underwent a multi-day annual safety evaluation, where the co-op achieved a satisfactory performance.
The RESAP review was led by representatives from the Colorado Rural Electric Association and other state cooperatives. This program involves leadership and employees at all levels, encouraging them to take “ownership” of safety systems and processes.
RESAP emphasizes regulatory compliance, best practices, active safety committee participation in evaluating current work practices, analyzing past performance, and investigating safety incidents. RESAP also supports the establishment of safety goals and standards, drawing on resources such as national and statewide benchmarks and best practices.
The cooperative reported no recordable injuries for the month. However, there was an incident involving a rotted pole with no injuries. Preventative measures will be implemented to address similar situations in the future.
Operations Department
Vegetation management – SDCEA’s contractor, Integrity Tree Service, cleared 3.54 miles of line in July. They removed 292 trees, five hazard trees (trees outside of SDCEA’s right-of-way but are likely to fall into the line and cause damage) and trimmed 150. Crews are currently in the Twin Lakes area in Lake County to work on some areas of concern.
Other work projects:
- Overhead line replacement in the Cherry Creek area is underway.
- Wire and other equipment installation is ongoing in the Crossings development in Buena Vista.
- Sunset Vista’s latest phase of development is designed and waiting conduit installation.
- Staking, easements and material orders for line replacements for Hwy 69 S, Fremont CR 35, Cottonwood Creek and the double circuit from the Kettle Substation are underway.
- Fiber and conductor size increases to the north and northwest feeders out of the Ray Lewis Substation are underway.
- Line inspections of services from the Twin Lakes substation will begin in September.
Financial
Total YTD revenues are 1.3% over budget. Increased revenues are driven by a very cold January, which mitigated the significant decline in sales experienced in late winter. May- July sales were close to budget.
Total expenses are 3.2% over budget. April was 5.8% over budget. Delays in hiring, open positions, and more capitalized labor have mitigated some of this out of budget.
Factors contributing to total expenses being over budget include SDCEA’s purchased power expense, which includes increased kWh sales and above budget demand charges.
SDCEA’s Administrative and General expenses are also higher than budgeted due to costs associated with safety and computer expenses, along with labor costs associated with moving back to SDCEA’s permanent office.
Other items of interest from an update to SDCEA Policy C-99:
- The cooperative will no longer charge members who would like to obtain ‘junk’ poles that have been removed from service.
- There will be a $150 fee charged for re-inspection of improperly installed net meters (meters used by members with solar or other energy-generating services).
Communications
- The co-op will sponsor a homecoming tailgate event at Cotopaxi School Sept. 18, 5-6:45 p.m. in Cotopaxi. All are welcome to attend.
- Colorado Country Life is now featuring a column each month from CEO Jon Beyer. Members are encouraged to read the column for in-depth co-op information.
Next board meetings: A short meeting is scheduled for September 24 before adjournment to hold a private board educational session. The next regular meetings will take place Oct. 22 and Nov. 25 in the SDCEA Board Room, Buena Vista. The December 17 meeting will be held in Westcliffe, with the location yet to be determined.
Agendas are posted 10 days in advance on SDCEA’s website: Board Meeting Agendas & Minutes – Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, Inc.
Executive Session – The board adjourned into an executive session at 1:30 p.m. to discuss matters to be held in confidence. The meeting was reconvened and then adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
